The present invention relates to additives for use in treatment operations, and more particularly, to additives comprising chlorinated carbohydrates.
Hydraulic cement compositions commonly are utilized in subterranean operations, particularly subterranean well completion and remedial operations. For example, hydraulic cement compositions are used in primary cementing operations whereby pipe strings such as casings and liners are cemented in well bores. In performing primary cementing, hydraulic cement compositions are pumped into the annular space between the walls of a well bore and the exterior surface of a pipe string disposed therein. The cement composition is permitted to set in the annular space, thereby forming therein an annular sheath of hardened substantially impermeable cement that substantially supports and positions the pipe string in the well bore and bonds the exterior surface of the pipe string to the walls of the well bore. Hydraulic cement compositions also are used in remedial cementing operations such as plugging highly permeable zones or fractures in well bores, plugging cracks and holes in pipe strings, and the like.
Set retarders commonly may be included in cement compositions, among other things, to delay the set time of the cement composition. Among other things, set retarders may delay the set time of a cement composition exposed to high subterranean temperatures, and thereby extend the time during which the cement composition may remain pumpable after the cement composition has been mixed. A variety of conventional set retarders have been developed and used successfully, including, inter alia, sugars, borates, phosphate compounds, and lignin-based compounds. However, the use of conventional set retarders may be problematic. For example, conventional set retarders undesirably may slow the development of a cement's compressive strength. Furthermore, conventional set retarders may be incompatible with certain cement additives, and conventional set retarders may not be suitable for use in environmentally sensitive applications.